51 Avenue Roadway Upgrade

The 51 Avenue roadway between 75 Street and 54 Street was an existing rural cold mix roadway of approximately 7.5 metres wide. On the north side of the Avenue a large industrial development exists and the land on the south side is owned by the City of Edmonton. The project crosses the Mill Creek Ravine, west of which the land on the south side was previously used for snow storage; this land is was being developed as the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Operations and Maintenance Facility (OMF). On the south side of 51 Avenue east of the creek the intent is to create a saleable parcel of land for another City department. On street services were limited to power from an aerial feed located on the north side.

The Valley Line LRT project proposed a new track alignment along the east side of the 75 Street right-of-way as it crosses 51 Avenue. This new track alignment proposed to close an existing high load corridor access for an existing business in the area. An alternative high load corridor route was proposed through 51 Avenue from 75 Street to 50 Street. The existing cold mix roadway structure was not adequate for the expected vehicle loading required for a high load corridor. The roadway was proposed to be a fully reconstructed urbanized roadway to accommodate the additional loading.

This project was complex with many challenges including consideration of the area where the roadway crosses Mill Creek Ravine which is a drainage corridor. As such, any development proposed by the City or on City Lands within the plan area was subject to an environmental review process. Additionally, the 51 Avenue road right-of-way crossed a total of twelve pipelines (including the Trans Mountain Pipeline) with five separate pipeline companies. It was a requirement of the project that access to the existing properties along 51 Avenue were required to be maintained through the duration of construction in all weather conditions.